Zimbabwe’s vendors are charging on government this morning over the eviction from the Central Business District.
In a mass protest the first of its kind set to cause shockwaves across Harare the street merchants are enflaming at Parliament house.
National vendors union of Zimbabwe chairperson, Sten Zvorwadza told ZimEye.com, “We are marching from Parkade to Parliament to deliver a petition to prevent the government from evicting vendors from CBDs across the country.
“Civic Society Organisations are also attending the march as partners. ROHR( (Restoration of Human Rights) Zimbabwe will be a key partner. There will be heavy riot police presence in Harare today.”
The move comes at a time when the vendors also filed an urgent chamber application at the High Court to bar police from disturbing their planned march aimed at seeking suspension of their removal from the streets on Friday.
Government gave notice that all illegal vendors will be evicted from the streets on Friday.
But the vendors’ body, National Vendors Union of Zimbabwe is opposed to the removal and they seek to petition Parliament to suspend the decision to evict them.
To that end, the NVUZ wants to hold a march today in Harare where they will petition the Parliament of Zimbabwe to defer the eviction pencilled for Friday.
In the urgent application filed yesterday by Maunga, Maanda and Associates, Officer Commanding Police in Harare Central District, Police Commissioner General and Home Affairs Minister were listed as respondents.
The lawyers filed the papers after their clients had been barred by the police from holding the march.
In an affidavit, NVUZ national director Mr Samuel Wadzanai said the union wanted Parliament to intervene and ensure the postponement of the eviction to allow the illegal vendors to properly register and be allocated vending sites.
“Applicant is aware that Parliament has an oversight role over the acts of the executive or any other authority.
“It is in this light that applicant intends to petition Parliament seeking it to intervene by seeking to postpone the impending removal of the applicant’s members from the streets.
“The petition the applicant intends to hand over to Parliament is to seek its attention in order for it to suspend applicant’s members’ eviction for some time to enable certain measures to be put in place,” said Mr Wadzanai.
Mr Wadzanai said the police threatened to stop the march if the vendors persisted.(State Media/ZimEye)